Les Landry has health problems, however, the financial situation was the main motivation for seeking medical assistance in dying

A 65-year-old Canadian is seeking to end his life through euthanasia, a procedure legalized in Canada since 2016 for people in medical situations considered serious and irremediable. The main argument used by Les Landry to request authorization for euthanasia is the fact that he lives in poverty.

Although he does not meet the prerequisites for the process, Landry has prior issues, which are difficult to manage without access to health care, and has already obtained the signature of one of the two doctors needed to carry out the medical assistance at die.

In an interview with the Global News newspaper, the retiree said he worked as a truck driver before suffering from epilepsy and three strokes that left him full of after-effects.

For years he participated in government aid programs and survived on donations. However, for bureaucratic reasons, Landry ended up losing access to help from the Canadian government after reaching the age of 65. The man said he did not want to die, but preferred not to continue living under the current circumstances. So he got medical assistance in dying (MAID)

“I am not against euthanasia. What I am against is extending the procedure without improving the benefits or quality of life. How to reach a segment of society that has death as the only option to exit of his situation?” said Landry. According to the elderly, the use of euthanasia is the moment when “the pain of living is greater than the fear of death”.

In an interview with the Daily Mail tabloid, the man claimed to have been honest when asking for the procedure to be performed. “I told the doctor. I want to live, I don’t want to die,” revealed the man, who is awaiting the second signature to perform euthanasia.